All posts tagged Alice

Tonight, the Syfy network will air the second half of its original miniseries “Alice,” writer/director Nick Willing’s updated take on Lewis Carroll’s books. (Read an earlier story about the development of “Alice” here.) At the center of all of craziness is 28-year-old Canadian actress Caterina Scorsone, who recently chatted with Speakeasy about taking on the iconic role.

The Wall Street Journal: The miniseries is pretty CGI-heavy. Were you able to see any concept art before starting?

Caterina Scorsone: We were pretty lucky in that we had a pretty extensive rehearsal period before shooting. During that time, the art and production design was already available, so we got a good sense of the world Nick was creating.

Was it challenging to adapt to acting against a green screen?

I did an FBI show for three years [called "Missing"] where I played a psychic FBI agent. The show had some dream sequences, so I was familiar with [green screens], but never to the extent of what the miniseries had. To be honest, it’s not that different from non-effects acting. You learn to just focus your gaze on where ever or whatever you’re supposed to be looking at and develop that muscle for suspending belief. You use your imagination to fill in the rest. Read More »

For “Alice,” the Syfy Network’s re-imagining of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” executive producer Robert Halmi Sr. said he wanted to “de-Disneyfy the story” and adapt the classic tale for modern audiences.

To help achieve his vision, Halmi Sr tapped Nick Willing to write and direct the two-part miniseries, which begins airing tonight. Willing had previously directed 2007′s Emmy Award-nominated “Tin Man” — a similar revamping of the “Wizard of Oz” — for the producer, not to mention helmed a more faithful adaptation of “Alice in Wonderland” for NBC in 1999, with Whoopi Goldberg as the Cheshire Cat and Tina Majorino as Alice. Comparing the two productions, Willing says that his second go at the work was much more liberating, because the original “wasn’t a classic film story — it’s more a string of vignettes, mad encounters with crazy characters with no real quest.” The new version, which he shot over the summer in Vancouver, “is more of a jazz groove on a classic theme, complete with dips into the unconscious.”

Working to create a story that was gripping in its own right, Willing says he humanized several of Carroll’s creatures, grounding them in reality so the audience can emotionally invest in them. One of his greatest departures was his characterization of Hatter, whom he chose to be Alice’s street-smart companion during her journey. Willing also made the traditionally blond Alice a brunette to emphasize his departure from the source material, which came as a relief to actress Caterina Scorsone, who plays Alice.

“For me, it was a fabulous coincidence, learning I wouldn’t have to spend five hours a day in hair and make-up, or bleaching my hair into oblivion,” says the brown-haired actress. “But it goes to show that from the very first frame, the audience knows this is going to be completely different kind of ‘Alice’ story.”

Two weeks ago, actress and singer Patti LuPone grabbed a cell phone out of the hand of an audience member who was texting during a performance of her current play, "Shows for Days." The bold move led to an outpouring of support from fans fed up with glowing screens. Ms. LuPone gives us her five rules of theater etiquette.